Title: Logic of Demons: The Quest for Nadine's Soul
Author: H.A. Goodman
Publication: 14 July 2010
Publisher: Authorhouse
Source: Author for review
Age: I'm not sure. The protagonist is in his 30s, but this book is full of the teenage tendencies and naiveties suitable for teens. Um...definitely 18+, though.
Age: I'm not sure. The protagonist is in his 30s, but this book is full of the teenage tendencies and naiveties suitable for teens. Um...definitely 18+, though.
Pages: 263
My Rating:
Blurb:
"What would you do if the love of your life was murdered by a deranged killer? Would you become a vigilante and seek retribution? And would this revenge affect those you care for in the afterlife? LOGIC OF DEMONS The Quest for Nadine's Soul takes you on a journey inside the psyches of men and women forced to deal with the spiritual consequences of their decisions. Through the lives of a demon, two Angels, and a mysterious teenage girl, a plethora of politically and socially relevant issues ranging from the roots of genocide and sex trafficking to child conscription and religious fundamentalism are addressed in this fantasy thriller. Life as well as the afterlife converge in this novel to explain certain peculiarities of the human condition. Whether you are God fearing individual or an atheist, LOGIC OF DEMONS The Quest for Nadine's Soul addresses moral and theological issues of interest for people of all backgrounds."
My thoughts:
Slight spoilers. Read at your own risk!
Let me start by saying this wasn't a terrible book. It just wasn't for me, and it is my duty as a book reviewer to be completely honest in my opinions. I know there are many people out there who would deeply enjoy this novel, and I'll tell you why this didn't fit the bill for me. It goes without saying that this would appeal more to "adults" (whatever that means these days), say those in their late twenties onwards.
Logic of Demons begins when a steadfast man in his thirties is mulling over the recent murder of his late-wife. He goes to her funeral, and fights against his inner tendencies to strike back: he knows who did it, he has the motive, all he needs is the courage to go forward with such an idea. And he does. And in so doing, he scores himself a quick trip down to "The Office" (or Hell), after being 'accidentally' shot time and time again, before succumbing to his injuries. All that drives him forward is the will to see his wife again.
I could not relate to the protagonist, Devin, at all. He lives in a different world than I ever could have: he'd been married, then experienced horrific events; committed murder, and so on. His actions are also painfully naive considering all he's gone through. Perhaps this stems from my fatal inability to relate to him on even the most basic terms, but his mentally throughout the whole novel is "All I want is to be with my wife again!" It really annoyed me that he continually got screwed over time and time again by blindly trusting those who promised if he stuck by them they'd be able to lead him to his wife. This happened, sadly, to the point that I was shaking my head.
The writing style, and more specifically, just the basics of writing, are to be expected when dealing with a self-published novel. I can forgive that, but I can't forgive the blatantly obvious typos that popped up time and time again. Being a stickler for spelling and grammar, this also stifled my possible ability to enjoy the novel, even that little bit more than I did. Once more, the formatting of the novel as a whole was one that I was unaccustomed to. The chapters are long, especially when compared to many YA titles, resulting in my only reading one chapter in one sitting, most times. It took me more than a week to finish this book, and even by the end, I skimmed (I'm talking 60 pages, which is 20% of the novel!), just so I could read another book. At the beginning though, I was willing to give this one a shot, but it just wasn't meant to be.
However, the story when seen from a distance, is at its core, about the struggle between good and evil. Are the actions we, as humans, make purely our sole decisions? This novel deals with a chunk of issues that it's hard to list it. There's death, rape, love, trust, family, justice . . . Goodman actually addresses these pretty well, and I have no doubts that his next novels will prove to entertain and satisfy fans and loyal readers.
Buy:
Challenge: --
Learn more about Logic of Demons and read more reviews at Goodreads!
